Friday, March 18, 2016

Black off-duty cop kills Hispanic teen, officer charged with murder

"ADDISON, Texas (AP) Authorities say a suburban Dallas police officer who was arrested in an off-duty shooting that left a teenager dead and another boy wounded posted bond Thursday and was released from jail.
Officer Ken Johnson. (Farmers Branch Police Dept. photo)
Dallas County sheriff's spokeswoman Melinda Urbina says Farmers Branch officer Ken Johnson, 35, posted $150,000 bond and left jail early Thursday.
Johnson was arrested Wednesday night on charges of murder and aggravated assault.
Officials say after Johnson saw a vehicle being burglarized in his apartment complex parking lot, he gave chase when the suspects fled.
After the suspects' vehicle spun out about a half-mile away in Addison, an altercation led to the shooting.
Johnson's attorney has said he feared for his life.
Addison police Chief Paul Spencer said in a statement Wednesday that there was "probable cause" to arrest Johnson but that the investigation will likely take several more weeks.
Johnson shot and killed Jose Raul Cruz, 16, sometime after 7 p.m. Sunday.
The shooting occurred at a Shell gas station in Addison, another Dallas suburb adjacent to Farmers Branch."

Texas, unlike most states, sometimes allows deadly force to protect or recover property. Scroll down to sec. 9.42. It appear that it was still daylight out when the incident occurred.  The statute refers to 'nighttime".  There may also be other reasons why the statute does not apply.

Video suggests the officer rammed the suspects car and caused it to crash.  There apparently was no evidence that the suspects were armed. 

Quick action by authorities in this and other cases suggests that officials are making changes due to the Black Lives Matter movement, the presence of video evidence and public concerns.

This case adds an interesting twist.  The officer was black and the victims Hispanic. Does the Hispanic community need a "Hispanic Lives Matter" movement.

Finally, as bad as this case looks at this point, don't forget the presumption of innocence. That's why we have trials.
Addison spokesman Dan Reed declined to say whether Cruz or the other suspect was armed.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office said Cruz died at the scene.
The other person wounded was taken to a Dallas hospital.
Johnson was placed on paid administrative leave pending investigations by Farmers Branch and Addison police.





 
 

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